


The Shadows In My Heart

by Kitten_Kuti, MusicaLuna



Series: The Shadows From Our Past [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst?, Dark Past, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I will add more tags/characters/relationships later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-07 15:30:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13437777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitten_Kuti/pseuds/Kitten_Kuti, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicaLuna/pseuds/MusicaLuna
Summary: A young teenage girl decides to join a certain guild. She hopes to start her life over, but her past eventually bubbles to the surface in the form of shadows.





	1. First Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> MusicaLuna and I plan on posting weekly every Monday. We both hope you enjoy!

A teenaged girl walked through the roads of Magnolia. She had a backpack swung over her shoulders and a map in her hand.

She stared at the map, following it, and not looking where she was going.

The girl halted suddenly. She looked up from the map to see a three story building with a large red banner. The banner had an orange silhouette of what looked to be a fairy with a tail.

The girl smiled wide, her eyes sparkling excitedly.

A little shy -but more anxious- the teenager opened the door with a creak. She saw an uncountable amount of wizards drinking booze, eating, and talking. Her heart  raced as she stepped across the threshold.

The girl closed the door behind her after walking in. She still had the map rolled up and clutched in one hand as she made her way to the bar.

There was a young woman with white hair and large blue eyes that held a serving tray to her chest. Sitting on the top of the bar was a short, elderly man wearing orange and blue clothing.

“Excuse me?” The girl asked, trying to hide her excitement. She hoped either of the two would respond.

“Yes? How can we help you?” The girl with white hair asked. Her bangs were tied up on a short ponytail that resembled a unicorn's horn. It reminded the girl of one, at least. Her red dress with a sweetheart neckline complimented her complexion too.

“Well, I’m not sure how it works, but…”  _ Oh come on! I’ve dealt with scarier things than talking to a famous guild _ , “I… actually wanted to join Fairy Tail!”

The old man stopped sipping his cup of booze. He looked up at the teenager, “I have a few questions before you join.” 

The girl assumed this would determine if she was qualified or not.

“First you should know that I’m Makarov; Guild master of Fairy Tail. Now, what’s your name?”

“Call me Lyla.” The teenage girl replied.

“Okay, Lyla, what type of magic do you use?”

“I can use Shadow Magic. I’m quite good at what I do.” Lyla smirked, not that they could see. She was still wearing her black mask if cloth, a habit she had developed.

“So you feel like you have what it takes to be a wizard, then?”

“Yup!” Her voice was determinedly cheerful.

“Last question,” Makarov told Lyla, his face darkened, “Will you treat Fairy Tail as if it were your own home treat your guildmates as if they were your brothers and sisters? Will you stay and fight to protect your home and family here?”

Technically that was three questions, but they all had the same answer, “Absolutely.” She meant it with her entire being.

Makarov's face lit up, grinning ear-to-ear, “Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lyla!”

The woman with white hair already had a stamp with the guild’s mark in her hands.

“Where would you like you mark?” She asked, her voice extremely high pitched and friendly.

“I would like it on my heart.” Lyla said. Her black shirt was skin tight, and the collar came up to her neck, so she fearlessly lifted the bottom of her shirt instead, not caring that others were around. Not that anyone behind her could see under the shirt.

The woman stamped a black Fairy Tail mark where Lyla’s heart would be.

The whole guild cheered with joy over their new member. They must have been watching the whole scene.

“So, we have a new member, huh?” A man’s voice asked, silencing the rest of the guild hall. His voice was somewhat irritating.

The man stood in a battle stance, “Fight me! Let’s see what you got!” He told Lyla. The man had pink hair and a white, scale-like muffler around his neck.

“Are you serious?!” A woman with blonde hair and brown eyes exclaimed, “She’s just a girl!” The new member was indeed smaller than the others, as if she was younger.

“That’s okay.” Lyla said to the blonde, “I can handle him.”

The man with pink hair smirked, his fists lit up on fire.

_ Fire magic, Huh?  _ Lyla thought. The man ran at her, but she just stood there.

Last second, Lyla leapt up in the air with a backflip. The man was directly underneath her when her foot circled around and kicked him in the face. He fell backwards, holding his jaw.

“Owwww!” He cried. 

“It didn’t hurt  _ that  _ much, you baby.” Lyla told him, smiling, “I barely touched you!” She was excited for a new place.

“You bruised my jaw!” The man whined. Maybe he wasn’t much of a man.

“Well…” She glanced nervously at her boots. “My boots  _ do _ have metal soles… Let me see.” In an instant, the confidant wizard had been replaced by a nervous teenager.

The pinkette removed his hand, showing a large red spot on his jaw. “You’re okay, right?” She was clanking her metal covered gloves together, obviously anxious.

“Uh…” The male wizard was confused by the sudden change.

“Don’t worry about it,” The same blonde girl, who had spoken up for her earlier, said. “Natsu’s just making a big fuss. He’s been hurt worse and been fine to fight a second later.”

“Thank goodness.” She relaxed, her hands dropping to her sides. “I forgot I was wearing these boots.”

“Why are you wearing metal covered gloves and shoes anyway?” The man, Natsu, asked directly.

“Because I am.” She glared at him. He was rude.

“A new member calls for celebration!” Makarov yelled to change the subject. Instantly, the swarm of wizards began to crowd the girl.

“Eep!” She squeaked as she was surrounded. It was tightly packed, but comfortable. She beamed with joy, feeling welcome. She felt at peace, as if she had come home. Maybe she had, but whatever the feeling was, she ignored it for now and celebrated. For the first time in too long, she laughed. It was a joyous sound that mingled with others.

_ Home _ , she thought,  _ This is my family. _

  
  


The guild -her new home- had continued to celebrate her arrival well into the night. Many were passed out on tables, drunk. The girl herself was exhausted, but still glowing with happiness. No one had ever welcomed like this. Sure, Yajima had welcomed her, but it was different.

“Where are you sleeping tonight Lyla?” The woman with white hair asked, who Lyla learned was named Mirajane.

“Uh… I just got into town today, so I really don’t know…” She trailed off, nervously tapping her gloves against the bar. Her stomach grumbled loudly.

“You can stay with me for now. At least until you find your own place,” Lucy, who sat beside her, offered, “I just joined Fairy Tail a little while back, so I know it can be a little hectic to join the guild all of a sudden.” 

She was the blonde who was concerned for Lyla when Natsu picked a fight with her.

“Then I’ll help you find a place to stay tomorrow.” Mirajane chimed, clapping her hands gaily. “That way you’ll be taken care of!”

“You’d do that for me?” The brunette girl looked close to tears as she asked that.

“There’s no need to cry. We’re just being nice.” The blonde patted the other teen’s back.

“I’m not crying.” The girl sounded horrified at the thought.

“Ok. But, how old are you? I need to know so we can find a good place for you to live.” Mira told the girl.

“I’m around seventeen or so.” The masked teen shrugged.

“What do you mean ‘or so’?” Lucy prodded carefully.

“I’m an orphan so I don’t actually know my age or birthday.” Lyla shrugged, unfazed. “It’s nothing major. I’ve never really had to worry about it.”

“That’s so sad…” Mira sniffed.

“It’s fine. You grow use to it after so long,” Lyla said to young woman.

Her stomach suddenly growled again. This time loud enough to be heard.

“We can go to my apartment and get some food if you’d like?” Lucy offered.

“Please?”

“Then let’s go!”

Lucy chattered to her new companion the entire way, walking on the edge of the canal. The other, silent girl followed suit, balancing on the edge with ease.

“Be careful, Lucy-sama!” A man riding in a boat called out. “It’s late and you could fall in. And your friend too.”

“We will.” The bright wizard called back. Not too long after, they came to Lucy’s apartment.

“Go ahead and grab whatever from the fridge. I’ll set up a spot to sleep in. You can have my bed for now.” The blonde girl directed as they entered the small apartment.

“I can sleep wherever. I really don’t want to take your bed…” Lyla murmured, taking in the apartment. 

The wallpaper was a tan rose color, covered in circles. Directly in front of them was a fake potted plant beside a dresser with pictures and a chest in front of the window. In the corner was a smaller, white drawer stand beside a matching vanity. 

Underneath the window on the far wall, was a plain bed with two pillows and a large pink comforter. In the corner was a desk that was covered in papers and a second fake plant. Beside it, a curtained doorway, and further over, a bookshelf. In the center of the yellow carpet was a dining room table with three chairs beside a small coffee table and armchair. To the left of the doorway was more bookshelves and in the corner, a furnace and fridge, side-by-side.

“You have a nice apartment…” The brunette walked over to the fridge and opened it.

“Thanks, but where will you sleep if you won’t take the bed?” Lucy asked

“I’ll just take the floor.” Lyla was gnawing on a piece of bread from the cabinets. “Just need a blanket.” She began rummaging around her backpack. After quite some time, she pulled out a ragged blanket and a tiny, flat pillow. “I’ll sleep at the foot of your bed if that’s all right?”

“Sure, that’s fine, but here.” A larger pillow was handed to the girl. “I don’t have any spare blankets, but at least your head will be comfy!” They got ready for bed and turned off the overhead light.

Lyla slowly drifted off -her mask still in place- as she thought about how to live her new life.


	2. Second Chapter

Lyla had woken up early. She put on her iron armoured gloves, black-purple boots with metal soles and buckles, then went into the bathroom of the apartment to brush her light, strawberry caramel hair. It didn’t take that long since her wavy hair only brushed her shoulders.

In the mirror, her hair covered her right eye completely, then her black cloth mask. She had a skin tight, long sleeved, black shirt with a collar all the way up her neck. Just as tight black stockings reached up to her thighs, covering the skin that her dark denim shorts didn’t.

She hurried to the guild to get the better jobs. The quicker she earned money, the quicker she could move out of Lucy’s place. 

Yes, she was grateful to have a place to stay, but having a roommate can be so bothersome. You have to share such a small place, then everything in the small place. Lucy and the other girls seemed a little too nice for Lyla’s tastes, as well.

Lyla arrived at the guild the exact second they opened. Makarov and Mirajane were already there.

“Hi, Lyla!” Mirajane greeted with her usual glass shattering, high pitched voice, “What brings you here so early?”

“Just came for a quick job.” She said, slipping through the small crack between the doors and examining the job board.

Fighting monsters, capturing thieves, retrieving items, even getting a cat out of a tree. They all seemed to boring. Specifically, too easy.

“Any ones that have a higher pay?” Lyla turned to ask Mirajane.

“Only the S-class quests upstairs, but you can’t go without an S-class wizard.”

_ Too bad..  _ “I guess I’ll take this one.” Lyla ripped off a paper and showed it to Mirajane. It said she had to catch some thieves who stole trains and then valuables from the passengers on board. 

The reward was 100,000 jewel, and it was simple enough, so Lyla should finish around midday. It depended on how cooperative the thieves would be...

 

Lyla waited at a train station in Hargeon: a town a short ways south of Magnolia. After learning which specific train was going to be stolen from the person who posted the quest, Lyla tracked it down easily and knew it would be arriving at the station here in Hargeon in a few minutes.

There weren’t really any rich folk at the station. The town is more known for fishing than anything else. There was a businessman that wore and expensive suit and watch. Other than that, it was mainly women’s jewelry that had any worth.

Lyla could hear a train’s engine coming closer. With two whistles, the train screeched to a stop at the station. 

People started boarding, including Lyla. A few people gave her looks, but took nothing much of it. It was most likely her black clothing and mask. It would be easy for someone to mistake  _ her  _ as a thief.

Technically…

Lyla took a seat at an empty booth. She waited for the train to start before standing up and exploring the train carts. 

She made her way to the front. At least  _ one  _ of the thieves would have to be there to drive this thing, and she was right.

Lyla stood there, the man still unaware of the wizard behind him. He turned his head just as a swarm of lances pinned him to the ground.

Lyla walked forward, the lances a result of her magic. She bend down and lifted the thief’s head so he would be able to look at her.

“Now, where are your friends?” She asked in a low voice. 

The thief managed to stutter, “P-probably st-st-stealing from the passengers alrea-ready!”

Lyla stood up, released the lances. As she walked out, she created a prison cell made from shadow for the thief to nap in.

Yep, the others were stealing from each train cart. Lyla could hear the screams from the end if the train.

She bolted through each cart until reaching the first one with passengers taking of valuables and handing it to a man with his face covered by cloth.

Lyla ran up and punched him square in the jaw, then pinned him to the ground.

“Stay there.” She ordered, standing up while holding her hand of shadow magic to his face.

She ran to the other cart, creating rope of shadows to tie the second thief.

She continued through each cart until a total of five thieves were caught. She gathered them all up to the front.

“TRAIN!!!” The thieves shouted in horror. Lyla whipped around to see a second train heading for them.

She stared at the controls, confused, “How do you drive a train?!”

“Like hell, I’m telling the person who nearly stabbed me with spears.” The first thief she caught replied bitterly.

With a growl, Lyla pulled him to her by his shirt collar, “You wanna die by a train crash or not! I’m trying to save your stupid life here!”

He replied with a scream directed towards the second train several yards away.

“Dammit!” Lyla shouted, “Hold on!” She jumped out the left side of the cart, hanging on with her arm holding on to the door.

With only minutes until they collided with the other train, the girl nimbly climbed to the front of the train. She stood, balancing on the front, and held out her glowing hands. Two sets of black and purple train tracks appeared, guiding the two trains away from each other. They floated in air as they continued to speed along, more track appearing as needed.

When the last train carts of the two train passed each other, Lyla moved the shadow tracks of the second train to place it back on the real tracks. She then concentrated on placing the train she was about to fall off of back on the tracks.

Within moments, Lyla managed to dispel her shadow magic.

The speeding vehicle teetered a bit before returning to a smooth ride.

Panting and covered in sweat from an adrenaline rush, she climbed back into the train.

“Sh-she’s a little scary…” Lyla heard one thief murmur, terrified.

“Yeah… A-and she’s s-so tiny!” Another’s voice shook. “How old c-could she be?”

“It’s not nice to ask about a girl’s age...” Lyla gave them a cold stare. The only sounds they made now were whimpers.

Lyla ignored them and moved to check on the passenger’s, slamming the door open.

“Everyone okay?” She asked to the passengers. They all nodded and assured her they were fine, even though some were still dizzy and clutching onto their seats as if their lives depended on it.

Later, Lyla stopped the train at the next stop, which was conveniently at Magnolia, and turned in the thieves to authorities. They did the rest, making sure the passengers were safe and finding a real conductor to drive the train.

Exhausted from the amount of magic she had used, Lyla needed to rest. Key word: needed.

Despite that, she went to get some food at Fairy Tail. When she got there, Lucy and the fire boy weren’t at the guild hall.

“Hey, Mirajane.” Lyla called to the woman, “Where’s Lucy and that uh...that guy who tried to fight me yesterday?”

“You mean Natsu?” Mirajane asked back.

“Yeah, that guy.”

“They went to stop some members from the Eisenwald guild with Gray and Erza. It shouldn’t take long since they’re some of the most powerful wizards in the guild.” Mirajane explained.

“Oh, really?” That meant Lyla could take another job and be back before them. It would be a good opportunity to get some money without being bothered by anyone.

She went back to the request board, examining each job.

“I’ll take this one.” She told Mirajane, showing her the paper.

“Alright! I’ll write down that the job has been taken already.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've enjoyed!


	3. Third Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!  
> Actually....it's Monday...  
> Let's hope this chapter cheers you up!  
> -MusicaLuna

Lyla soaked in the tub, letting the ends of her hair float on the surface of the steaming water. It was nice; relaxing. After all the jobs she took, she needed a nice, long bath to ease her nerves. She had completed a lot jobs yesterday, but the pay was meager.

It felt like she’d been in for a while. When her hands and feet turned into prunes, Lyla decided to get out and empty the tub.

She wrapped a white towel around herself, her clothes neatly folded and stacked on the countertop.

Looking in the mirror, she could see the scar going across the right side of her face, starting just below her hairline and going straight down to beside her mouth. It cut directly through her right eye.

Some of her eye could be seen behind the tangled strands of wet hair. The black sclera used to scare her as a child, but she had gotten used to it.

Lyla quickly towel dried her hair and got dressed in the same outfit as yesterday. She had multiple pairs of the same clothing, except for her boots and gloves.

She began brushing the knots out of her hair when Lyla heard Lucy’s voice shout in fear, “Breaking and entering!”

Lyla dropped her hairbrush and swung the curtains open to see the commotion. She had her hand glowing with shadow magic, in preparation for a fight.

Lucy had kicked a half naked man with black hair, and chain necklace around his neck, and a blue Fairy Tail emblem on his chest.

“Who the hell is this?!” Lyla asked in aggression.

“Lyla!” Lucy said, “This is… Gray…” She seemed ashamed to know him, and Lyla could tell why. This guy only had his black underwear on!

“Don’t suppose you have any clothes I could wear?” Gray asked, walking to Lyla and holding out his hand for a handshake.

“Are you crazy!? Get out!” Lyla ordered the man, punching him in the abs with her iron armoured gloves. He fell to the floor, wheezing.

“Oh my goodness!” Lyla gasped, “I forgot I was wearing my gloves!”

“Anyway…” Gray stood up once he had caught his breath, wincing slightly, “I came to remind you in case you’ve forgotten. Today’s the day you know.”

“What day?” Lucy asked. Lyla was thinking the same thing.

“See, you  _ did  _ forget…” Gray said, “Remember what Natsu said before we left?”

“Wait, the fire guy said what before you left for where?” Lyla asked, she was completely lost.

“Before we left to fight Eisenwald…” Lucy had connected the dots, “Natsu challenged Erza to a fight!” The blonde bolted out the door, Gray following.

“Better come if you want to see Natsu’s butt get kicked!” He told Lyla before rushing out the apartment.

Fire boy already got his butt kicked by Lyla when she arrived two days ago. Did she really need to see that again?

Lyla took an apple from the fridge, lowering her mask to take a bite.

Well, she needed to go to the guild and find a job anyway. She could watch whatever was left of the fight when she got there.

Lucy shoved past multiple guild mates to see Natsu and Erza surrounded by the circle of Fairy Tail wizards. Lyla walked incredibly fast, so she was able to catch up before anything really started. She watched the fight from behind all the chaos.

The redhead woman wearing an armour top and blue cloth skirt used magic to change her outfit into black and orange-gold armour. Lyla assumed this was the Erza people kept referring to. 

She read about an Erza in Sorcerer’s Weekly magazines. Lyla didn’t read magazines often, but she always came across an article or two about powerful wizards. She skipped all the bikini pictures female models would wear, though. Not her style.

“Flame Empress armour, huh?” Natsu asked in confidence lighting his hand with his fire magic, “That’s perfect! Now I can go all out without any hesitation!”

“Begin!” Master Makarov announced.

Lyla watched as Natsu charged Erza with two fists of flames. Erza unsheathed her sword with lightning speed. The two clashed, then again.

Natsu took a deep breath in and breathed out a stream of fire. Lyla hadn’t seen fire magic like  _ that  _ before! Then again, she hadn’t really seen fire magic. She’d only read about it in books.

Erza swiftly dodged Natsu’s attack. The fire wizard casted more spells, the female wizard blocked them, then sent out her own.

There was a sudden sound somewhat resembling a gong. Natsu and Erza froze into statues. Lyla whipped around to see a frog walking as a human. She was dressed in clothing that stated the frog worked for the Magic Council.

“That’s enough.” The frog said.

Everyone fell silent. The black clothed wizard melted into the crowd.

“Everyone stay where you are,” she continued. “I am an emissary from the Magic Council.”

Guild members exclaimed in shock that anything related to the council came all the way to Magnolia. Lyla kept quiet, keeping a cold look in her eyes. If the council was involved, someone was in trouble… maybe...

“For eleven crimes committed during the recent Eisenwald incident, including destruction of property…” The frog continued, “Erza Scarlet, you are hereby under arrest.”

“Wh-what?!” Natsu exclaimed in surprised fury.

Yeah, someone was in trouble, but for such common things that are usually glossed over. She should know.

The frog took Erza away. Furious, Natsu ran after them, but the guild stopped him. A man with blue hair and the man’s son went after Natsu as he made a second attempt save Erza.

Eventually, the young boy found Natsu and told the guild his father turned him into a salamander to keep him from running off again.

They trapped Natsu by placing a cup over him on the guild hall’s bar table.

From there, everyone sat in gloomy silence. Lyla had no sympathy for Erza like the rest. The council had some other motive for arresting Erza than justice.

Lucy, Gray, and Natsu caused just as much damage according to what they told the guild, and what Lucy told Lyla when she got home. There’s no way the Magic Council would only arrest Erza for damages if the rest of the group destroyed as much as her.

“Let me out! Let me outta here!” Natsu begged, scratching the glass cup that trapped him inside.

“Be quiet, Natsu.” Mirajane told him in a melancholy tone.

“Let me out!”

“You’ll go on a rampage if we do.” 

“No, I won’t! Turn me back to normal!”

“If we do, you’ll say, ‘I’m gonna go save her!’” Mirajane leaned down so she could talk to Natsu face-to-face.

“It’s the council we’re talking about. There’s nothing we can do.” Gray spoke out.

“I’ll give ‘em a piece of my mind!”

“If the council says you’re guilty, you’re guilty, even if you’re innocent.”

“Sad.” Lyla chimned in, pushing herself off the wall she leaned against, “Their word is only law because no one has the courage to say otherwise. If it weren’t for their power, we would’ve fought back and let Salamander go after them.”

“It’s not wise to speak that way, Child.” Makarov said to Lyla.

“I’m stating the truth here.” She mumbled, barely audible to anyone but her.  _ Not that the council would care-or anyone else…-they’ve heard me before.  _

Lucy stood up from her seat, “We can’t ignore this after all! Let’s go testify!”

“Hold on, now!” Makarov shouted.

“How can you say that?! She was unlawfully arrested! We need to get there before they reached a verdict!”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.” Lyla said.

“Let me out! Let me out!” Natsu continued to beg.

“What do you mean ‘That won’t be a problem?!’” Lucy bit back, agitated.

“Well…”

Makarov blasted Natsu with his magic as a result to their own conversation. After the dust cleared, the salamander turned into the man with blue hair.

“That’s why.” Lyla said casually.

“Macao!” So that was the man’s name.

“S-Sorry. I owed Natsu a favor...” Macao replied sheepishly.

“It’s obvious he turned into the lizard to take Natsu’s place.” Lyla stated, “Where did you guys think he went after finding that fire breathing lunatic?”

“You knew this and didn’t tell us?!” Lucy seemed outraged.

“Honestly, it was just a hunch.” Lyla shrugged, “I needed to make sure before I said anything.”

“Don’t tell me he went after Erza!” Gray wanted an answer from Macao.

“Yes, probably.”

“You gotta be kidding me!” A large man with white hair exclaimed, “I can just see him trying to beat up the council!”

“All of you stay quiet!” The master ordered, “Just wait quietly and see how it turns out.”

And so they did. A few hours later, Natsu and Erza returned perfectly fine. The salamander spent the rest if his time loony from being in a prison cell for the first time. At least his time there didn’t last several weeks…

“I can’t believe it’s was a symbolic arrest. I worried for nothing…” Lucy murmured in defeat, laying her head on the table.

Lyla’s eyes started to feel heavy. Maybe it was just lack of sleep from all the jobs she did yesterday… She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she had fallen onto the wooden floor, her hair messily sprawled all over and around her face.

She lifted herself up, brushing her bangs neatly over her right eye to make sure it's covered.

“Mystogan?” Lyla overheard Lucy ask.

“He’s in the running for strongest man in Fairy Tail.” The largest, white haired man explained. It would probably help Lyla to learn at least a handful of her guildmates’ names.

“For whatever reason, he doesn’t want anyone to see him.” Gray added, “So he puts everyone to sleep like this whenever he takes a job.”

“Are you serious?! That’s way suspicious!” Lucy exclaimed.

“Not really.” Lyla interjected, “Some people just like to keep a low profile. It’s usually for personal reasons.”

“Oh, right…” The blonde guiltily replied, being reminded no one knew her own roommate's face.

“No one but our master knows what Mystogan looks like. We don’t know what you look like either, Lyla.” Gray said.

“No.” A new voice said, “I do.” He obviously meant that Mystogan character.

Everyone looked up to see a muscular young man with blonde hair blue eyes, and a lightning bolt shaped scar over his right eye.

“Laxus!”

“This is rare!”

The man, Laxus, leaned over the wooden railing keeping people from upstairs falling down. Everyone crowded around from below.

“Another candidate for the strongest member.” Gray stated.

The guy did look tough, but Lyla couldn’t judge his power based off of looks alone. He did seem very interesting too.

“Mystogan is shy. Don’t get too nosy.” Laxus said.

“Laxus! Fight me!” Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Does he do this with everyone?” Lyla asked under her breath.

“Only those who’ve beat him before, and sometimes new members,” Mirajane answered.

“You don’t stand a chance against me if you can’t even beat mere Erza.” Laxus grinned devilishly. Lyla could tell this guy would be trouble. She hated people with big egos, mainly because she can sometimes have one herself. It was not fun to come down from it.

“What does that mean?!” Fury wasn’t a strong enough word to describe Erza at the moment.

“Woah, calm down, Erza…” 

“I mean that  _ I’m  _ the strongest!” Laxus claimed.

“Come down here, you jerk!” Natsu ordered. 

“You come up.”

“Fine by me!”

Natsu jumped from one table to the next. When he neared the stairs, Makarov used magic to stretch his arm out and grow his fist to squash the salamander like a bug.

“You’re not allowed on the second floor!” He reminded, “Not yet!”

“Got yourself in trouble.”

“Laxus, that’s enough out of you!”

“I won’t let anyone take the title of Fairy Tail’s strongest! Not even Erza or Mystogan!” Laxus pointed to himself as he repeated, “ _ I’m  _ the strongest!”

Lyla growled, irritated by the inane fighting, “Unless you three actually compared power and skill,  _ no one  _ has the title of being Fairy Tail’s strongest member!” 

“There’s no need for comparison! Everyone knows I’m the strongest! Unless you want to prove it!”

“I would, but I’m afraid I might crush your ego,” Lyla spat.

“Tch. You’re just some little girl.” Laxus turned around to walk away. He stopped when a small mass of shadow magic skimmed his cheek. He whipped around to see the puny child giving him a cold stare.

“Bastard.” Lyla rumbled. She took off her mask to show bolt boy her pissed off scowl. He was the only one to see her cold face.

“Call me ‘little’ again and I won’t miss,” she promised darkly.

Tension filling the room, Laxus walked away, out of sight from those downstairs. The guild took a few seconds to soak in the scene before murmuring to each other. They slowly worked their way back to drunken stories and friendly banter.

By nightfall, all but Lyla, Lucy, and Mirajane remained in the guild hall. Lyla stood in front of the request board in search of high paying jobs. She needed to move out before it became a burden.

“Why can’t we go up to the second floor?” Lucy asked Mirajane at the bar.

The woman answered, “It’s still a bit too soon for you, but the request board on the second floor has jobs far more difficult than the ones on the first floor. S-Class quests.”

Lyla decided to listen in.

“They’re dangerous jobs in which a momentary lapse in judgement can prove fatal. The rewards are that much higher, though!”

“Wow…”

“Only wizards given our master’s approval can accept S-Class jobs. Including Erza, Laxus, and Mystogan, there are only five people qualified for them. It isn’t for the faint of heart. S-class jobs are all really dangerous and deadly.”

“How would a wizard become able to take S-Class jobs?” Lyla asked.

“There’s an annual competition Fairy Tail has. Whoever wins becomes an S-Class wizard and are able to take the jobs upstairs.”

“Isn’t there a faster way?”

“Why?”

“It’s just…” Lyla thought about it. Should she be bragging about most of these jobs being too easy? The only thing keeping her from just doing them all is how time consuming some of the jobs would be.

“...Nevermind… Come on, Lucy. I’m tired. We should get back to your apartment.”

“Why don’t you go on your own?” The blonde asked.

“Well, for starters, I don’t have a key. And I have some decency, unlike the naked idiot.” Lyla stated snarkily.

“Oh, right...” Lucy seemed embarrassed to forget that she never gave Lyla a copy of the apartment key, “Let’s go then.”

“You know, I’m starting to get most of the power rankings figured out.” Lucy told Lyla during their walk home. She quickly thanked the men who warned her about walking so close to the edge of the river beside them.

Lyla crossed her arms and smirk behind her mask, “Oh, really? Then what would you say my rank is?”

“Hm… I haven’t seen you in a proper fight before, but you were pretty confident standing up to Laxus back at the guild.”

“You’re mixing up confidence for stupidity…” Lyla took longer strides to catch up to Lucy, “I attacked him out of spite.  _ No one  _ calls me a child.”

“But… you…”

“I may look like a child, but trust me, I’m nowhere near being a child. That never even happened.”

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” Lucy gave a nervous smile.

Lyla responded casually, “Oh… well, I never had a childhood and… I think in a much older mindset than I should. It’s nothing too bad, but it’s just who I am.”

“Oh. I suppose that makes sense.” The older teen fell silent, contemplating the other girl’s words.

The two wizards entered their apartment to see Natsu doing sit ups on Lucy’s bed shirtless, and a blue cat beside him trying to lift weights.

“Welcome back!” They both said. Wait… the cat can talk?

Lucy screamed, “You stink like sweat!” She jumped and kicked Natsu in the middle of his workout. Lyla simply smiled, though no one could tell with her mask still on.

“Do your workouts at your own house!” Lucy ordered the cat and Natsu.

“What are you talking about? We’re a team, remember?” Natsu reminded. He picked up some pink dumbbells, “Here, for you!”

“You like pink, right, Lucy?” The cat asked.

“Since when do I care about dumbbells?!”

“Gotta get stronger if we wanna be Erza and Laxus and the rest!” Natsu told her, doing push-ups with the cat.

“Okay, I would like to know what this talking blue cat is.” Lyla needed to know.

“I’m Happy!” The blue cat answered, “I’m just your average talking cat!”

“Average…?”

“Yeah,” Natsu explained through push-ups, “He’s been a part of Fairy Tail since we were little!”

“That doesn’t get you two out of my house!!!” Lucy yelled, annoyed.

“Technically, this is an apartment…” Lyla pointed out.

“Not right now!”

“I’ve decided…” Natsu began, ignoring Lucy’s wishes for him and Happy to leave, “Let’s go on an S-Class quest, Lucy!”

“S-Class!”

Happy showed a job request with a red stamp marking it to be S-Class ranked.

“What about me?! Can’t I come?” Lyla asked in anger. She was stronger than anyone else in the room!

“Yeah, sure!” Natsu replied happily, “The more the merrier!”

“That doesn’t explain how you guys got it! You can’t go on the second floor!” Lucy exclaimed, terrified at the risk if them having the quest.

“I went and took it.” Happy blunty said in an innocent tone.

“You cat burglar!”

“Since it’s our first time, we chose the cheapest job on the second floor.” Natsu explained.

“7 million jewel?!” Lyla exclaimed, looking at the job, “That’s the cheapest?!” That would be enough to get her out of the sweet wizard’s hair.

“That could pay rent for one hundred months! That’s…” Lucy did the math in her fingers, “eight years and four months!”

“We would have to split it, though,” Lyla pointed out.

“Hm...true… Wait-” Lucy snapped back into her senses… sadly… “We aren’t qualified for S-Class work!”

“If we pull it off, Gramps will  _ have  _ to acknowledge us!” Natsu referred to Master Makarov.

“The job is to save an island.” Happy stated.

“Island?”

“The cursed island of Galuna!” Natsu and Happy said creepily just to spook Lucy. Lyla rolled her eyes. A cursed island sounded like stories a sailor would tell, but it would be cool if the island was actually cursed.

“Forget that!” Lucy waved them away, thinking it would do something.

“Bah. Let’s go home then.” 

“Aye.”

“It had a lot of money though…” Lyla whined. She could easily get her own place to stay, even if they equally split the money.

“No way am I getting in trouble for- Wha…?! They left the paper behind!” Lucy jumped when seeing the flyer for the S-Class job lying on the floor.

While Lucy complained about being framed for stealing the paper, Lyla picked it up calmly and read the information on it.

“Hey,” Lyla spoke to Lucy.

“Hm?”

“Says they’ll reward a Zodiac Gatekey. What do you think that is?” Lyla doesn’t really know much magic outside of her own. Sometimes she’ll read a book or two talking about other magic types. This is assuming the gatekey is related to magic. Sounds like it is.

Lucy snatched the paper and read it herself. She grabbed Lyla’s wrist and pulled her out the door and outside, they both ran to Natsu and Happy.

“Natsu! Happy! Wait up!” Lucy called.

“I’m not letting you take the reward for yourself!” Lyla called after them, excited. After all, rules were meant to be broken and she did that job very well.


	4. Fourth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a long one. Hope you enjoy!

The group hopped from sailor-to-sailor, asking if they’d be willing to sail them to Galuna Island. All have denied. They kept repeating the basic same answer: “Galuna is cursed, it’s taboo to even speak about it!”

“Rrgh..” Lyla growled, “Why can’t I just make us a boat with my magic?!”

She _did_ have the power to pull it off, if only she knew where the island was…

“No! We’re swimming! Are you nuts?!” Natsu exclaimed. It’s a well known fact he has motion sickness with _any_ mode of transportation. _Any._ Except Happy, actually, who is able to fly him anywhere.

“Not all of us can swim that long, Flame Brain! We don’t even know where the damn place is!” Lyla retorted, snarling under her mask.

Natsu stomped away, going to the next sailor for a ride.

Lucy asked Lyla as they followed the firebreather, “Why do you curse so often?”

“Why _don’t_ you curse? You’re older than me, too. At least by a little.”

“I guess you have a point there.”

They came up to a sailor with a black mustache and night blue cap on his head.

“I don’t know why you wanna go there, but no ship will take you there.” He said after Lucy asked if he could take them to Galuna.

“Then it’s decided, we’re swimming.” Natsu said, grinning ear-to-ear.

“ _Or,_ I could conjure us up a boat. Then all we need is directions.”

“Swimming.”

“We’re going by boat.”

“We’re swimming!”

“Boat!”

“Swimming!”

“Boat!”

“Found you~”

“AAH!!!”

Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Lyla all jumped at the creepy sound of Gray’s voice whispering into their ears. He placed his hands on Natsu’s and Lucy’s shoulder, Lyla in the middle.

“What are you doing here?!” Natsu questioned, surprised of the ice wizard’s appearance.

“The old man ordered me to bring you back,” Gray answered, referring to Master Makarov.

“He’s already found out?!” Natsu leaned in close to Gray, his jaw falling to the floors.

“If you come back now, you’re likely _not_ to be expelled. We’re going back.”

Lyla snagged Salamander’s muffler and pulled him back. She took his spot and crossed her arms, leaning back slightly.

“I don’t see why we can’t do the S-Ranked quest. Flame Brain is strong, Lucy has her magic, and I can kick your butt with the flick of a finger.”

“And I’m telling you you’re not strong enough to do it!” Gray’s aura went from demanding to horrified, “If Erza finds out, she’ll…”

He didn’t need to finish for everyone to shiver in fear. Lyla had seen Erza, she’s seen the redhead’s strength. It would be a challenge to defeat her… her face gets scary when she’s angry, too… But… maybe… Never mind!

“I’m gonna face Erza. I’m not gonna back down to her!” Natsu claimed. Both he and Gray summoned magic around their hands.

“Magic! Are you wizards?” The sailor in the boat beside them asked, “Could you be here to lift the curse on the island!”

“Yeah!”

“W-well…”

“I won’t let you!”

Silence. The man, who stood on his small boat, gawked at them.

“Get in!” He told them.

“Seriously!” Natsu exclaimed.

“Wait!” Gray started, but Lyla side kicked him hard enough to knock him out. Not that her boots helped the ice wizard.

“Natsu, you carry him.” She said, looking back at Salamander as she sat in the boat, “Looks like we’re traveling by boat, after all.”

“Wait, we’re taking him along?” Lucy asked, talking about Gray.

“Well, yeah. If we don’t then Erza will be coming next…” Natsu shuddered.

“Get in the boat.” Lyla snapped. She just wanted a good payday for a place of her own. None of this irritating stuff...

 

They had been sailing for quite some time. Night had fallen and Natsu had the constant urge to puke. Lyla made sure if he _did_ puke on the boat, it would be on Gray, who was tied up.

“Thank you for taking us to Galuna.” Lyla thanked the sailor under Gray’s complaining and Natsu’s gags.

“As long as you can free that cursed island…”

“Who are you, anyway?”

“My name is Bobo, and I was once inhabitant of that island.”

Everyone quieted to listen to Bobo, their sailor. The only sounds was the creaking wood of the boat, and rhythmic water lapping.

“But I fled from that cursed island. When you arrive on that island, misfortune falls on you. Can you really lift the curse?”

Bobo whipped the beige cloak covering his body to the side, revealing a blood red-purple demonic arm. It could be the limb of an oversized insect if they grew to the size of humans.

The man’s face was shadowed as he stared at them. Lyla subtly reached up and covered her right eye under the hair.

“The demon curse,” Bobo told them darkly.

“Mister, your arm…” Gray trailed off.

“The curse… you mean…” Lucy started but trailed off.

“You can see it now.” He stared past his passengers and at an island resting on the dark horizon, “That’s Galuna Island.”

They all stared at it, except for Natsu, who still suffered from motion sickness, hanging over the edge of the boat.

A shudder worked it’s way down Lyla’s spine.

“What’s that!” Lucy murmured, confused, “There’s something shining at the top of the mountain.”

Lyla stared at the light. Whatever created it, it wasn’t natural.

“Huh? Where did he go!” Lucy exclaimed.

Lyla looked around, Bobo was nowhere to be seen.

“Did he fall overboard!” Gray wondered, as worried as Lucy and Lyla.

“He disappeared while we were looking elsewhere.”

“No duh, captain obvious.” Lyla bit out.

Natsu dealt with motion sickness, Gray and Lyla were hashing it out, and Lucy ignored them all when she noticed the strange movements of the water.

“H-hey!” Gray shouted. Lyla picked him up by his shirt, ready to strangle him.

The teenage girl looked to the side of her, same a Gray.

“It’s a giant wave!” She shouted.

“We’re going to sink! Brace yourself!” Gray warned.

All five of them screamed as they got pulled underwater. Lyla couldn’t cast any magic that could help them in the rapid water. Instead, she struggled to hold her breath and stay conscious until the last thing she saw was the black ocean around her.

____________________

Lyla opened her eyes, blinded by the midday sunlight. She could make out palm trees in her line of vision.

Sitting up, she saw what was left of the boat, two wizards, and a blue cat with his head buried in sand.

“Happy!” Lyla called, tripping as she rushed to pull him out. Natsu and Gray could wait.

She searched for her mask as Happy coughed out sand after being pulled out. Lucy emerged from the foliage, still trying to get her bearings.

_Where’s my mask?!_

The wave from last night must have torn off her mask. It’s the only thing keeping her identity safe! Her hair could only cover so much of her face…

The group confirmed there was only one village on Galuna Island, which was the island they washed up on. They agreed to go there first, where they would find the chief if the village that sent the S-Class quest.

Lyla panicked internally, hoping if she looked again, she would find the damned piece of cloth that was suppose to cover her mouth, but no luck.

_I guess I could by another when we get back to Hargeon… but..._

It took the rest of the day to find the log gates surrounding the village.

“Keep out.” Gray read the sign out loud, “Alright, here we are. Now what?”

“Excuse me!” Lucy shouted, “Please open the gate!”

No response.

“Should I destroy it?” Natsu suggested.

“No!” Lucy and Lyla exclaimed in sync, Lyla gently punching him in the cheek.

“No! Who’s there?” A voice called from the other side of the gate.

“We’re from the mage guild, Fairy Tail!”

“We didn’t know that someone had accepted our request!”

“A problem must’ve delayed the message!” Gray told them. When accepting a quest, the person who sent it would be informed about the wizards who were coming to help. Since this quest was stolen… well…

“All of you, show us your marks!” The man from inside the gate ordered.

They all did as told. Natsu showed his guild mark on his shoulder, Lucy’s on her hand, Happy’s on his back, and both Gray and Lyla lifted their shirts to show theirs.

The log gateway was raised, and the group walked into the village, a large group of people completely covered in cloaks and masks, only their eyes showing.

Lyla could borrow their masks until she got herself a new one, maybe. Hopefully.

“It’s like we’re entering the mouth of a giant monster.” Happy commented

“Don’t say things like that.” Lucy mumbled.

Judging by the voice, and elderly man spoke to the wizards, “I am the chief of this village, Moka.”

His posture had him hunched over, using his wooden staff with a blue tinted crescent moon on top as a cane.

“Before anything else, there is something we must show you.” Moka continued, “Everyone!”

The village all let their beige cloaks fall, revealing monster-like appendages. Bony claws, scaly horns, animal legs, pointed ears, bird beaks, every villager had some form of monster attached to their body.

“Just like the man on the boat.” Gray stated in a hushed voice.”

“Such incredible sideburns!!” Natsu exclaimed to Moka, who was bald except for long white sideburns falling over his ears and to his waist.

Lyla clutched a clump of Natsu’s hair and dragged him bag.

“Sorry for Flame Brain, he can get pretty obnoxious…” Lyla said the last part through clenched teeth, staring back at him. Natsu rubbed his head when the teenager let go of his hair.

Moka explained the island’s situation, simply chuckling at Natsu’s comment, “Every living creature bears the same curse; dogs and birds are no exception.” He referred to the otherworldly body parts everyone had.

“Not that I doubt you, but what makes you think it’s a curse?” Gray asked with a straight face.

“We have consulted numerous doctors, but they said there is no known disease like this. So this appearance of cause must be cause by the moon’s evil spell.” The chief answered.

“What spell are we talking about here?” Lyla asked, her arms crossed and leaning her hips to the side.

“This place has been absorbing the moonlight since ancient times, causing the island to sparkle as beautifully as the moon itself. However some years ago, the moonlight suddenly turned violet.”

“The moon is coming out!” Happy called out as a violet light gleamed in the sky. A gray cloud floated out of the way to reveal a full moon stained with the purple colour.

“Kinda creepy…” Lyla murmured, lowering her head into her shoulders.

“It’s the curse.” Moka said, “This is the moon’s evil spell.” Sweat ripped from his forehead.

The village began roaring and screaming in pain. All of the villagers began changing! Their skin turned unnatural colours, their ears became larger and more pointed, scales were all over their bodies, some had horns, other had beaks, they all grew fangs! They were fully demons.

It was an unsettling sight for Lyla, but she soon recalled her life.

“I apologize for shocking you.” The chief said.

“What on earth is going on?”

“How pitiful.”

Lyla stayed silent.

“How...How cool is this?!” Natsu screamed in excitement, “Awesome! You have horns and thorns. I want them too!” Was he _ever_ older than a 9 year old? Lyla would expect her little brother to act like this-if she had one-, but not a grown man. Well...Natsu isn’t a grown man..

“Cool, huh?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard that.”

While Lucy scolded Natsu, Lyla placed her hand on her forehead. She had a growing headache. It began as barely there when the moonlight shone over them, but it’s more like a light throb by now.

The chief, Moka, explained further about the curse. He explained that every night the moon would rise when colored violet, they would change into their current demon forms. Most would turn back by morning, but some can’t revert and end up “losing their souls”. Those who supposedly lose their souls were dispatched.

“Isn’t there a possibility that they might revert?” Natsu asked, hoping the answer would be “Yes”.

“If we left them be, they would kill us all!” Moka replied, “Even when we locked them up, they simply destroyed the prison.”

Tears fell from his cheek, his voice choked when saying he had to kill his own son due to the curse.

Lyla had to sit on the ground. Her headache slowly grew in power, and her stomach began to churn.

The village let them stay in a hut for the night. The group’s conversation continued about destroying the moon as the chief asked and what other ways to lift the curse, since obliterating the moon was simply impossible.

Meanwhile, Lyla sat on the floor, leaning her back against the wall. If she was sick, it wouldn’t help her to lie down. She covered her right eye with her hand. Her head felt like it had been punched, her gut was spinning out of control, and it was hard to focus.

“Are you okay, Lyla?” Lucy asked, crouching down to check the girl’s temperature, “Your forehead is really warm, and your sweating too.”

“I think if I just get some water,” Lyla spoke slowly, “I should be alright.”

“You don’t think it’s the curse, do you?”

“Happy!” Lucy scolded at the blue cat.

“If you would all just _shut up.”_ Lyla snapped. She just wanted peace and quiet.

The group agreed to sleep for the night. Gray stripped down to his underwear, falling on top of his futon. Natsu and Happy did the same on theirs, then Lucy lay down on hers in between them.

Lyla tried sleeping, but her fever wasn’t helping, neither was the snoring of Natsu and Gray.

She pressed her palm against her right eye, which burned like the fires of hell. Lyla didn’t know what was wrong, but it might have something to do with the violet moon.

The next morning, Lucy woke everyone up and they all went out to investigate the island and see if there were any other way to break the curse rather than destroying it as the chief requested.

The guys were complaining about how early in the day it was. Meanwhile, Lucy was wide awake and ready to go. Lyla felt exhausted. It was too hot for her dark and covering clothes, and her ‘fever’ kept her up all night. She felt better now -compared to last night, but she still felt on edge and a little dizzy.

Lucy summoned one of her celestial spirits, Horologium; a grandfather clock with his face taking up the pediment, and two black arms with hands shaped as oven mitts. Strange-looking, but that was typical for celestial spirits apparently, at least for Lucy’s.

The blonde used Horologium as her vehicle to get around through the jungle. She opened the glass door of the clock and stepped inside. The clock -now holding his celestial wizard- followed Gray, Natsu, and Happy. Lyla hung out in the back of the line.

Lyla thought about pulling her hair up, but she would have to be careful not to lift her bangs. She didn’t have any hair ties anyway.

The sight of a puddle of water on the side of the trail caught the girl’s eye. She leaned over until her reflection barely fit in the water. She kneeled down to get a better look at herself. Her brown eye was glossed over and the dark pools of exhaustion under it weighed it down. She lowered her mask to clearly see her skin, which seemed a little pale in comparison to her normal complexion.

Before leaving earlier in the day, she had asked for one of the beige masks the villagers wore when the wizards first arrived. They gave her one, and she ripped it so she could tie it around the lower half of her face.

“Lyla! You okay?” Gray asked, with barely a hint of worry in his tone.

“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine.” Lyla replied, standing back up to catch up with the group.

“You’ve been acting weird lately,” said Happy. He decided to add under his breath, “You don’t think it’s that time, do you?”

“Isn’t she too young?”  Natsu whispered to his cat companion.

“I’m seventeen you idiots!” Lyla roared.

“‘Shut up you guys! Just how immature can you get?!’ She exclaimed, in an annoyed tone.” Horologium quoted Lucy from inside the clock. It’s completely soundproof when sitting into the clock, so he quotes whatever the person is saying and adds a description of the tone the person used. Almost like a book.

Stomping that shook the earth interrupted the conversation that was supposed to end in Lyla kicking Natsu’s and Happy’s butts…

Everyone stopped in their tracks when the stomping came to a halt. They looked up to the clouds to see a large creature taller than the trees! It’s eyes gleamed as if it wanted to eat them.

“W-what’s that?” Natsu shrieked.

“It’s huge!”

“‘Hurry up and smash it, guys!’ She says.” Horologium quoted Lucy.

Lyla lifted her mask back over her face with one hand, the other glowing a deep midnight purple; The color of her magic.

“Ice Make…” Gray prepared to cast one of his own spells as an ice wizard, “...Shield!”

A wall of ice formed in front of the group just as the giant...whatever it is...spewed some sort of gas that blurred Lyla’s vision and made everyone cough.

Horologium poofed out of existence as the air cleared, leaving Lucy and Happy -who snuck in to hide from the gas- defenseless. A celestial wizard could only keep a spirit from the celestial world in Earthland for so long. It mainly depended on the wizard’s magical power and their contract.

The gas cleared out completely, and the huge monster that attacks them was... a... a giant rat with turquoise fur… It even wore a frilly pink and black maid outfit…

Was Lyla hallucinating? It would make sense...

The rat had an evil glint in its yellow eyes. It then came charging after them.

“Run!” Natsu shouted, covering his sensitive nose from the gas while fleeing with the rest of the group.

They all ducked and covered before sprinting away again when the rat spewed more of the awful gas at them.

“Ice Make Floor!” Gray shouted, casting is magic onto the ground beneath him. The rat slipped and fell on the floor of ice created from it.

“You should’ve done that from the start!” Natsu shouted angrily.

“Quit complaining!” Gray spat.

“Both of you shut your mouths before I break them!” Lyla yelled, holding a clenched, iron covered fist covered in magic up to them.

“Look, there is some kind of building over there.” Lucy said. The rest turned their heads to see what she was looking at. It was a large stone temple in the distance with a staircase leading to an entryway, mostly hidden behind the jungle.

“Let’s get in there while we can!” The blonde shouted, but when she turned her head, she saw Gray and Natsu kicking and punching the giant rat in the head. Lyla simply stood there, shaking her own in disappointment.

The girls eventually got the annoying males of the group to stop attacking the unconscious rat and bring them inside the temple.

“Wow, it’s so large.”

“It’s crumbling, isn’t it?

“Which era is this from?”

The group all had their own questions about the temple, but they all decided exploring it would most likely benefit them. The room they were currently in had no lighting, and whatever decorations or structures were in here have crumbled away.

“Hey, look.” Lyla said, pointing above the dark doorway in front of them. She pointed at a crescent moon carved into the wall and painted orange.

“This island was originally called ‘Island of the Moon’, right?” Gray asked.

“On the Island of the Moon, there’s a moon’s curse and a moon’s crest…” Lucy trailed off.

“Well, obviously there’s a pattern.” Lyla said, “So if we want answers to anything here, first place to look would be something related to the moon…”

“Nevertheless, it’s crumbling apart.” Natsu stated for the second time. He started stomping on the ground, “Will the floor hold?”

To answer that question, the floor almost immediately crumbled before them, sending them all plummeting into a dark abyss, screaming their heads off.

Somehow, they all survived and were now in some sort of cave system.

Happy couldn’t individually fly them all out, and Lyla’s magic had seemed to take more energy out of her than usual since last night, so the group was stuck.

Natsu pranced away, exhilarated to explore the ruins.

The rest chased after him, stopping when they found him gaping at something.

“What is this?” Natsu exclaimed.

Lucy, Gray, Lyla, and Happy mimicked Natsu’s expression when seeing a literal monster -larger than the rat from the jungle- encased in ice. It made Lyla feel smaller than a speck of dust.

They stood on rock that hang off as a high cliff. Falling would even kill the rat, yet the demon creature still towered over them

“T-this is…” Gray stuttered, “Deliora!” He walked forwards, his face still frozen with horror, “This can’t be… Why is Deliora here?! It’s unbelievable! There’s no way it could be in a place like this!”

“Do you know what it is?” Natus asked, him, Happy, and Lucy running up to him. Lyla couldn’t move. If this was something S-Class wizards dealt with on a normal basis, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to become one anymore…

While they tried to calm Gray so he can explain what this “Deliora” is, Lyla struggled to stand. What was causing this to happen to her? Side effects?

Lyla gasped, when she saw shadows growing larger from the tunnel behind them.

“Hide!” She warned in a hushed voice, shoving her group behind a cluster of rocks.

Two men -a tall one wearing only jeans with cat ears and a catlike face, and a shorter one wearing a green robe with blue hair and large eyebrows- casually walked near the edge of the cliff. The talked about something called “Moon Drip” Lucy supposed it had something to do with the curse.

A young woman with pink hair tied into pigtails and wearing a maid’s outfit similar to the large rat’s came up to the two men. She talked about someone named Angelica and how the woman was beaten up by someone unknown. The tall man with the catlike appearance referred to Angelica as “just a rat”, so Lyla assumed Angelica was the name of the giant rat that attacked them. Maybe Angelica was the woman’s pet. It would explain the similar outfits.

“Intruders?” The short man with blue hair said. This shook all of the Fairy Tail wizards.

“Just when we were almost finished collecting the needed moonlight…” The woman sighed, “Let’s exterminate the intruders before Reitei-sama hears of them.”

She continued to talk about ending the intruders, which were the wizards hiding behind the rocks beside them.

Lucy sent Happy to make some noise down one of the tunnels. When the two men and the woman heard pebbles being kicked and ran after the sound, the group stood up from their hiding spot.

“Well done.” Lucy praised to Happy, quietly so she couldn’t be heard.

“Aye.” The cat said.

“For what purpose did they bring Deliora here?” Gray asked to no one specific, “This immortal demon that caused havoc in the region of Iscan ten years ago… This demon that my master, Ur, who taught me magic, gave her life to seal. I don’t know what connection it has to this island’s curse, but…” His voice growled deeply in rising anger, “This thing should have never been brought here!”

Lyla listed the facts down, it was becoming a little too much with her illness…

Fact: Galuna Island is where Lyla and the rest of the team were. Happy and Natsu stole an S-Class quest; Lucy and Lyla joined. Gray came to retrieve them after the guild found out, but ended up coming along to.

Fact: The island is cursed, and every night when the violet moon rises, the villagers and creatures on the island turn into demonic creatures.

Fact: Lyla, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy, explored the island and found a temple. They ended up falling under the crumbling floor and found Deliora encased in ice.

Fact: The three weirdos from before must have something to do with Deliora and/or the Moon’s curse.

Unknown: Who the hell was Reitei and what the hell where they doing?


	5. Fifth Chapter

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Happy, and Lyla all stared at Deliora encased in unmeltable ice. Gray’s master from childhood, Ur, used a spell called Ice Shell to seal away the demon that stood before them. The spell encases whatever is cast upon it with ice that can’t be melted by any magic, much less normal fire.

“If they knew it couldn’t be melted, why did they bring it here?” Gray asked out loud, referring to the three weirdos they hid from earlier.

“They probably didn’t know, or maybe they’re trying to melt it somehow,” Lucy suggested.

“They’re idiots no matter what the reason for bringing that demon here,” Lyla added, crossing her arms. The strange pressure covering the island was definitely coming from here.

“We should go after those guys from before,” Natsu said, pointing his thumb in the direction they ran.

“No.”

The four wizards turned their attention back to Gray.

“We shall wait here,” The ice wizard ordered, “and we’ll wait until the moon rises.”

“The moon! But it’s only noon!” Natsu exclaimed.

The rest ignored him.

“Gray, what do you mean by that?” Lucy asked.

“I believe that the island’s curse and Deliora are both somehow related to the moon.”

“Then I guess we’ll wait until night,” Lyla spoke up.

“I can’t do that! I’m going after them!” Natus yelled, fire spitting out of his mouth.

“Sleep,” Lyla pressed her index and middle finger into the hollow just behind Natsu’s ear. This sent him falling to the ground and snoring like the monster he is.

“How did you do that?!” Lucy asked in shock.

“I might’ve read a book or two about pressure points on the human body and the different ways to work them.” Lyla explained nonchalantly. “That was the easiest one to get him to shut up for a while.” She could have used so many others if she wanted.

The group spent the next few hours sitting in the ruins, waiting for something to happen. Gray sat on a the floor, facing Deliora and staring at the ground. Happy and Lucy sat beside Natsu, who was still snoring the day away. Lyla leaned back on a larger rock, her head tilted down as she rested her eyes.

The teenager’s eyes were still heavy from lack of sleep. She would probably have to hibernate for a day to get the bags under them back to normal.

“Just waiting around is boring after all,” Lucy whined. “That’s right!” She clapped her hands together as if she remembered something, which made Lyla jump.

Lucy took out one of her silver keys and summoned the celestial spirit tied to it, “Open up, gate of the harp!”

A young girl with blonde waist length hair poofed into existence. Her hair curled at the end, and her mouth was shaped like a cat’s. She wore a long blue dress with pink frills at the ends and hear prints just below her waist. She had a pink bonnet on her head, leather shoes, and small white wings and a harp on her back. She resembled an irritatingly pink-but sweet-angel.

“Hey! It’s been a while, Lucy!” She exclaimed, waving her hand frantically.

“Hi, Lyra.” Lucy greeted.

“Geez, you _never_ summon me! I want to contribute more of my services to you.”

“But I can only summon you three days a month!”

“What? Is that so?”

Happy and Lyla shared the same worried expression.

“Another weirdo showed up.”

“Says the talking cat...” Lyla retorted quietly.

Lyra took out her harp and began playing a song to help pass the time. It was a slow and peaceful song, but it had a melancholy touch to it. Lyla didn’t feel like doing anything but sitting there and enjoying the peaceful melody.

When Lyra stopped singing and the song was over, Lyla heard Gray sniffling. He still just sat on the floor, sulking the whole time.

“H-hey...Gray?” Lucy asked, worrying for her guildmate.

“Huh? What is it?” He asked, not turning around to face the others. He was trying really hard to play the tough guy act, which Lyla knew too well to be fooled by it.

“He cried.” Happy pointed out unnecessarily.

“Lyra does specialize in singing songs that reflect what’s in people’s hearts, but…” Lucy trailed off.

“Gray was crying.” Happy repeated, which earned him a painful bop in the head from Lyla.

“Shut it, will you?” She hissed at him.

“Sing a happier song, Lyra!” Lucy ordered, frantically trying to change the subject.

“Oh! You should have told me in advance.”

“Now that I think about it, what if someone comes along?” Gray said, “Just be quiet.”

Natsu along with Lucy, Happy, and Lyla had fallen asleep while waiting for nightfall. Gray was still up, slouched over on the ground when the ground began rumbling.

It wasn’t the earth shaking, or her guildmates’ screams of confusion, but the loud _Dong_ coming from a violet magic circle above Deliora that woke Lyla up.

“AAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!!!” Lyla began writhing in pain as it felt like a Hellish fire covered her. She clutched her hand over her right eye, which was the source of the Hellfire-like burn.

The magic circle cast the same violet light from the moon onto Deliora.

“Lyla!” Lucy screamed in concern.

“Stay away you bitch!” Lyla yelled in agony. Her hands glowed with her shadow magic, blood dripped from her mouth, which stained her mask. Lyla ripped off her mask and turned over to where she faced the ground beneath her. Her blood began to drip onto the ground from her mouth.

“We need to find the source of that light!” Gray yelled over the quaking earth and hum from the magic circle.

“Something’s wrong with Lyla!” Lucy called back, who then ran up to the girl.

“I said get away!” Lyla roared. She used the little control she had over her magic to encase herself in a dark cloud.

“Take one step closer and the gas will kill you!” She gasped the warning.

“What’s wrong with her?” Happy exclaimed in worry.

“Let your friends help you!” Natsu ordered. They all started inching towards her.

“Why don’t you idiots fucking listen to me?!” She yelled with a horrid scream to follow. The deadly gas vanished at Lyla’s loss of control over her own magic. The poor girl began puking up blood.

“Happy!” Gray ordered, “Carry Lyla with us!”

“Aye!”

The blue cat managed to grab the collar of Lyla’s skin tight shirt and lift her into the sky. The girl tried shaking herself free, which almost worked. Happy took Lyla and followed his friends above to ruins. He placed her down once they exited the top of the temple.

“Get her out of here!” Gray commanded. Happy nodded and flew Lyla into the jungle nearby.

She took deep breaths to try and calm down. She clutched her right eye with one hand, her head with the other.

“Lyla what’s wrong?!” Happy asked, “There must be something I can do… Maybe you're hungry? A fish would do the trick!”

“Just.. Ngh..” Lyla groaned through the pain, shaking when trying to keep herself steady, “Go help the others…”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ll be fine.. Just…” She clenched her teeth, which were stained with blood, “Just go..”

Reluctantly, Happy nodded and flew off to return to the group.

Lyla slowly was able to regain control of her magic. Her eyes stung less, and it didn’t hurt as much to move. Whatever was happening to her, the Moon’s curse has something to do with it. She only fell ill when its magic was near.

At least she knew that the demons from old did have something to do with her… She laughed bitterly-hysterically-as the pain receded just a little.

“What did you do that for?!” Lyla heard Natsu’s voice echo throughout the woods above her quiet laughter. She had a little trouble standing up, but once on her feet, she walked towards the sounds of Salamander destroying the jungle. His head was planted into the ground and all but his limbs and head encased in ice.

Before she could help him up, Natsu spewed fire from his mouth as thrust to shoot him into the air and fall on his feet. A… unique way to pick yourself up, but okay.

“Gray you jerk! I’ll get you for this!” Natsu yelled at the top of a mountain with violet light shining up top.

“Maybe, instead of attracting attention, you should shut up.” Lyla snarled. “Maybe, we want to get out of this shit show. I, personally am getting fed up with all of this idiocy in my way.”

“Huh?” He just noticed his teammate over his fire and snarls, “Lyla! Thank god you’re okay!” He ran awkwardly up to her with only his knees down being able to move.

“Now help me melt this ice!” He ignited his hand with fire and held it to the frozen shell around him, “My fire can’t melt the ice. The heck?!”

While walking by him, Lyla gave Natsu an uppercut.

“Ow!” He growled in pain, “You missed the ice!”

“Wasn’t aiming for it.” Lyla snarked“Wait! It’s hard to walk like this.”

“You could tell me what I missed on the way their.” Lyla said, ignoring Natsu. She always felt on edge when she was around the moon’s light too… A shudder worked its way down her spine.


	6. Sixth Chapter

The guy the three weirdos called “Reitei” was a dude called Lyon, the leader of their group and the mastermind behind the moon curse. Natsu said Lyon sent the three goons to eliminate the village that called for Fairy Tail’s help. Happy flew Lucy out of danger when Lyon and Gray started fighting, Natsu got stuck in a giant ice boulder trying to take part in the action. On top of that, it seems that Lyon and Gray have some history, which must be a nice reunion...

Lyla and Natsu trekked up to the top of the mountain where they found Gray lying on the floor unconscious. His body was covered in scratches and bruises.

“Wake up, Gray!” Natsu grumbled, still stuck in ice, “How lame… You sure got beaten to a pulp.”

“Natsu... Why are you here?” Gray managed to mumbled. 

“Natsu told me about the village. We couldn’t find it, so we came up here.” Lyla told him.

Gray grunted in pain, “Lyla.. You’re okay?”

“Physically, yeah. Not in the best mood right now, though.” It’s true, she’s had a slight snap to her voice since the freak show she put on back with Deliora. She’s been on edge and felt like any hiccup could set her off. 

“I see the village!” Natsu shouted to his teammates. “Over there! Come on, let’s go.” He bent down the best he could with his ice cocoon to pick up Gray by the back of his shirt. 

“Wait! I can walk…” Gray said, “Where’s Lyon?”

“No one’s here. The guy must be somewhere else, trying to melt Deliora.” Lyla suggested.

“How would he do that?” Natsu asked.

“Just a thought. You said he sent the goons to destroy the village, so that job’s done, and he wants to melt Deliora for some reason.”

Gray tried standing up, but almost fell on the floor if Natsu hadn’t caught him.

“Here, I’ll carry him.” Lyla offered.

“You were hurting just a while ago. I still have some strength left.” For once, Natsu had a serious attitude.

“My magic is weak, but I can manage.” Lyla used her magic to conjure a floating platform made of shadows just large enough for Gray to lie on. Natsu carefully placed Gray down on the platform.

“Woah,” He said when he felt the surface, “It’s as soft as a bed.”

“We wouldn’t want our  _ beloved _ ice wizard to wake up sore.” Sarcasm dripped from her words. “Come on, let’s go.” She started walking, the bed-like platform with Gray on it following her. Natsu followed too, walking right behind her.

It took a while, but they finally reached the gates of the village, which happened to open for them. Lucy stood in front of the village, who all looked that the three of them.

“Hey guys! You’re safe?! Natsu called, running up to them. Lyla had no energy to run right now, but she could speed walk at the least, so that’s what she did.

“Stop, don’t come any closer!” Lucy begged, freaking out for some reason. Was it an ambush? Did the three wizards already come and were luring the rest of them into a trap.

Natsu skidded to a stop. No enemies jumped out to attack. Lyla hurried up to the salamander. There were some leaves and straw on the ground. It wasn’t there before they left.

“What’s this?” Salamander asked. He stepped forward. Lyla stayed still, panting.

Natsu yelled when the ground suddenly broke beneath him and sent him falling into a deep pit. Lyla’s magic slipped, the noise breaking her concentration, and the shadow platform disappeared, dropping Gray on the ground just before the pit.

“Who the heck is playing pranks at a time like this?” Natsu asked.

“Lucy, of course.” Happy replied.

“I knew it!”

“You’ve got it wrong!” Lucy tried defending herself.

“Hm?” Lyla looked down at Natsu, “Hey, the ice broke.”

“J-Just as I planned!” Lucy said.

“Sure~!” Lyla called back sarcastically. “It was definitely what you wanted when you had no idea what happened.” She wiped away some sweat.

“At least you seem to be feeling better.”

“I’m in the best mood I can be right now, with the Moon’s curse and all.”

Some villagers helped Natsu out the hole as Lyla walked around it. Another picked up Gray and placed him down on ground further away from the childish trap.

“A flying rat!” Someone called out, pointing to the sky.

Lyla saw a giant turquoise rat using its tail as a helicopter propeller to fly.

“It’s that thing that attacked us from before.

“What’s that bucket?”

The rat has some large metal bucket in its hands. It most likely wasn’t going to be an apology gift.

A large drop of something green fell from the bucket. It looked like it was going to land on Lucy. Was it jelly? It looked like jelly…

“Lucy!” Natsu yelled, jumping into the blonde and sending both of them flying to the side. The jelly fell on a plant where Lucy stood, leaving nothing by a small hole and smoke behind.

“It’s toxic!”

“Is the whole bucket really filled with that?”

“Don’t tell me they plan to drop it on us!”

“Gather in the center of the village, everyone!” Natsu ordered. He leaped into the air as Happy flew to catch him. The two of them flew off to follow the rat.

Everyone followed Natsu’s order’s and gathered in the center, three of them had to carry Gray.

A few second later, the rat swung the bucket out of her hands, sending toxic jelly to fall all over the village.

 

In the air, Natsu used his fire magic to disperse the jelly, leaving a gaping hole in the center. When the jelly hit the ground, everyone was safe, but they were stuck on a circular piece of land with the ground around them completely dissolved.

The three goons who follow Lyon’s orders approached them.

“We must destroy all of Reitei-sama’s enemies.” The girl of the group said, “Even though we tried to bestow instant death upon them, it seems that a lot of blood must now be spilled.”

The man with blue hair and green clothes spoke, “Fifty villagers and three wizards. This should take about fifteen minutes.”

The villagers started the way to somewhere away from the fight.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m with you. That makes four wizards!” Happy said.

“Three. Lyla, you’re sitting this one out.” Natsu told her.

“What?”

“You’re still weak. You’re in no condition to use your magic.”

“I can still fight!” Lyla’s voice trembled with anger. Purple sparks of magic flew from her hands.

“I’ll fight too…” Gray said. Everyone turned around to see him struggling to stand up.

“You two go with them. You’ll just drag me down.” Natsu said the the ice and shadow wizards.

“Gray,  _ you’re  _ in no condition to fight. You can barely stand.” Lyla told him. “I can fight still. Go.”

Natsu walked up and gave Gray a punch the the gut. “Injured patients should just stay asleep.” He turned back to Lyla, “Help the villagers look after him.”

“Tch.” Lyla reluctantly agreed. She followed behind the village to a safer place. “Who does that salamander think he is?!” She grumbled, “He saw me use my magic, I can still fight!” She kicked the dirt beneath her.

“He didn’t want you to get hurt.” The villager who carried Gray said.

“I already got hurt, a few more punches shouldn’t do much!” Magical pain was far worse than physical pain. She’d prefer to beat someone up than wait in agony.

“But you’re a team, aren’t you supposed to care for each other? He only wants you to be safe.”

Lyla fell silent for a bit before mumbling, “You’re making it sound like he likes me.”

“Eh- Not like that! I mean, I’ve heard that the wizards of Fairy Tail are like family. So, shouldn’t Natsu be like a brother to you?”

Lyla crossed her arms, “I’ve known him for barely a week. He has no right to tell me what’s best for my health!” Only one person had that right!

But, the word “family” echoed in her head. That one person she considered to be family, and they were somewhere else in the world, living a safer life. Lyla wondered what would’ve happened if they could’ve grown up together as siblings. They might be living normal lives. They could maybe join the town’s guild, or seek for more ordinary jobs. They would probably be having dinner by now, chatting and laughing about when they were younger. Although, when Lyla thought more about it, she wouldn’t trade anything in the world for for a life away from Fairy Tail. At the same time, she would give up almost anything to see them again.

 

____________________

 

“Ah! Umph!” The small girl stumbled when standing up. She had bruises all over her and the room seemed all topsy turvy, yet she still had her fists clenched, dark purple magic sparking from them.

A slightly older girl punched the smaller one in the jaw to send her falling back to the ground. The older girl had piercing emerald eyes and dark hair that hadn’t been properly brushed in years.

The younger child stood up again, this time using her magic to create a large cloud of shadows that pushed the older girl in the wall. Neither children wanted to fight, but had to due to the workers watching them through a window on the floor above.

The older girl used her own magic as thrust to lift her into the air and out of the grasp of the younger’s shadows. 

As the older one fell to the ground she created an ear piercing screech with her magic. The younger child covered her ears in pain and collapsed to the floor when her opponent landed on top of her.

The older girl had won. The loser barely had any strength to continue. 

Two men dressed in white and blue cloaks with red cloth covering their faces  walked into the room.

When the victor stood up, the younger girl noticed her ears were bleeding, yet they still smiled.

“What’s your name?” The older girl asked with a smile, holding out her hand.

The younger girl took it and pulled herself up, “I don’t have one.”

“That’s a shame. Maybe we can come up with a name for you later?”

The younger girl looked up in shock, she gave a slight nod as the winner of the fight walked away.

“W-wait!” She called back, “What’s your name?”

The older girl stopped to answer. The younger girl smiled now that she knew someone by their name and not by their scary uniform.

That’s when one of the men roughly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away, putting handcuffs on her that nullified her magic. The second man came up to the girl without a name and put a replica of the handcuffs on her, then taking her to her back to her room.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any suggestions, please tell me. If I like them, I might use them. If I don't use your suggestion, sorry. That's all for now. Thanks for reading. Bye~


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